March 17, 2022
On March 15, the AMA sent a letter to Congressional leadership disputing a recommendation (p. 149) by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to freeze Medicare physician payment rates for 2023.
MedPAC is an independent congressional agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to advise Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.
While MedPAC includes in its rationale that they expect “volume and revenue to return to prepandemic levels (or higher) by 2023,” the AMA stresses that this rationale fails to recognize “fiscal uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, statutory payment cuts, consistent lack of inflationary updates, and significant administrative barriers.”
The AMA also argues that a continued freeze on Medicare payments to physicians is irreconcilable with “the nearly 8% payment increase the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects for Medicare Advantage plans in 2023.” The AMA letter goes on to criticize a lack of adequate annual updates to physician payment under Medicare.
The MMA recently met with members of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation to urge their support of adequate Medicare physician payment and will continue to inform membership of federal movement on this issue.
August 20, 2026
A physician and Olympian will give an inspirational address as part of this year's Empowering Physicians event on Friday, September 25, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
August 20, 2026
Minnesota received some disturbing news this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as data shows that for the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination rates decreased and non-medical exemptions increased.
August 20, 2026
On August 11, a federal appellate court sided with the Texas Medical Association (TMA) argument that the way the No Surprises Act’s qualifying payment amount (QPA) is calculated has historically favored payers in arbitration.